The cave
by Skovko
Summary: Seth's friends have gathered in his house to try and cheer him up after Becky left him. He's just gotten home after cleaning his mother's attic where he found an old journal that had belonged to his grandfather. Inside they find drawings and warnings about a woman living in a cave. She can give you what you desire. What Seth wants is to get Becky back but no wish is free.
1. The journal

Seth sighed as he stepped inside his own house. He wasn't surprised to find his friends there. Dean, Roman, Jimmy, Jey, Kevin, Sami and Corey. Dean had a key to his house and came and went as he pleased. Seth would have gotten that key back if he would have known they would show up uninvited like this. He understood they worried about him. Becky had left him a month ago and he just couldn't move on.

"Hi, Seth," Kevin said.  
"How are you feeling?" Roman asked.  
"Same old," Seth shrugged.  
"What have you got there?" Corey asked.

Corey pointed at the book in Seth's hand.

"Oh, I was helping my mom clean out the attic. Apparently my grandfather kept a journal when he was young," Seth said.  
"Cool," Sami said. "Old people can be so fascinating. What secrets did he keep in there?"  
"I only saw the first picture before I took it," Seth said.  
"Picture?" Dean asked.

Seth sat down and opened the journal so everyone could see the pencil drawing on the first page. It was a drawing of a naked woman. Young and hot with flowy hair that went down to her knees.

"Smoking!" Dean grinned.  
"Is that your grandmother?" Jimmy asked.  
"Ew, no!" Seth said.  
"How can you be sure? It's not like you were around when they were young," Jey said.  
"Because I've seen pictures. My grandmother kept her hair short her entire life," Seth said.

Seth flipped the page and looked at the words written on the next page. He recognized his grandfather's writing.

"She lives in the cave," Seth read out loud.  
"What cave?" Roman asked.  
"How the fuck should I know?" Seth asked.  
"Ssh!" Corey shushed Roman. "Continue, Seth. This is interesting."

Seth cleared his throat before continuing.

"She lives in the cave," Seth repeated. "She will grant you any wish you may desire."  
"Cool," Dean said.  
"With that desire comes the fear. With your dream comes the nightmare. Don't trust her. She gives and she takes," Seth read.  
"That's creepy," Jimmy said.

Seth flipped the page and they all looked at a drawing of a cave they all knew. It was out in the forest. They all explored it when they were children.

"That cave?" Jey chuckled. "Nothing's in there. We all know that."  
"Maybe your grandfather was writing a scary story," Kevin said.

Seth flipped another page. There was another warning written but it was written as some sort of poem.

_She is the sun and the moon_  
_Day and night_  
_Come in pairs_  
_And she will hide_  
_She is good and evil_  
_Desire and fear_  
_Come alone_  
_And she'll appear_

"Your grandfather should have been a songwriter," Dean grinned.  
"My grandfather was a very serious man. There was never any fun and games with him. He wrote this so I know he believed it," Seth said.  
"Then he must have been a sick man," Dean said.  
"Shut the fuck up!" Seth snarled. "You didn't know him!"  
"Hey! Easy!" Roman looked from Seth to Dean. "Don't fight over this."

Seth and Dean looked at each other and nodded. There was no reason to fight over Seth's dead grandfather.

"Sorry," Dean mumbled.  
"Has anyone ever gone there alone?" Sami asked.

All the men looked around at each other but they all shook their heads no.

"So technically we can't know for sure," Sami smirked.  
"Don't get any bright ideas," Kevin said.  
"I might go," Seth said.  
"Come on!" Roman tried to be the voice of reason. "Your grandfather is telling you a scary story from beyond. If you go alone, you might get lost."  
"It's not that big of a cave," Jey said.  
"Thank you, mister big mouth. You're not helping," Roman said. "You could get hurt, Seth. What if you fall and break your leg?"  
"I didn't say I would go," Seth said. "Just that I might."  
"Don't!" Roman sighed. "Just don't, okay?"

Seth mumbled something and nodded his head in agreement but he wasn't sure if Roman believed him. He wasn't even sure if he believed himself. For now he would agree to keep Roman calm and happy.


	2. Seth

Somewhere deep inside Seth had already known the night before that he would go to the cave despite agreeing with Roman not to go. If there was any chance of Becky coming back to him, no matter how small or silly it may seem, he would at least try. He missed her too much to go on. His heart was aching everyday because of her.

He turned on the flashlight on his phone and took one step inside the cave. Immediately he lost the signal which was odd. He could understand it if it got lost the further in he got. He took one step back and the signal came back. He took a step forward again and the signal once again disappeared. It didn't matter though. As long as the flashlight worked, he was good.

"Hello?" He called out.

His voice echoed off the walls which spooked him at first. He hadn't been in there since he was a child but the memories slowly came back. How they all used to have fun playing with the echo.

"Is anybody in here?" He called.

He looked over his shoulder at the light outside the cave. If anyone was in there, he knew he would have to travel further in. If there was a woman hiding in there, she wouldn't want to be seen by the light.

"God damn it, grandpa," he mumbled. "What the hell were you tripping on when you were young?"

Despite his own words trying to make him go back, he started walking further into the cave. He walked around for a few minutes until he took a turn and suddenly got surprised by the light. He was deep inside the cave where no light should shine, yet the place was lit up by an invisible force.

His eyes landed on a woman and he swallowed hard. She looked exactly like the pencil drawing, only in color, alive and right there in front of him. She was naked. Her hair was flowy and reached her knees. The color was the same intense, red color as the little mermaid Ariel in the cartoon. Her eyes shone silver bright as she watched him curiously.

"Why have you come here?" She asked.

It was like her voice whispered off the walls. Not like the echo when he shouted. Like it was being repeated in whispers from other voices belonging to people or beings that he couldn't see. It was all so surreal.

"I want my girlfriend back. Becky Lynch. She left me and I want her back. I heard you could grant wishes. You can make that happen," he said.  
"Be careful what you wish for, stranger," she said.  
"Please," he begged. "I can't go on without her. I love her so much. I just want her back."  
"I give and I take," she said.  
"I know that," he said. "What do you want? I got money. I can give you whatever you want."

She smirked and walked over to him. He shivered in fear as she came closer. Once in front of him, she blew out her breath directly into his face. For some reason he knew that was it. She had granted him his wish. He took a few steps backwards before turning around and running out of the cave. He kept running until he was home. Out of breath he tore the front door open and was met by a smiling Becky.

"Babe!" She shrieked happily.

She ran to him, jumped up in his arms and kissed him. It was like she had never left him to begin with. He put her back down and grabbed her face. She really was there.

"I'm making your favorite food for dinner," she said. "I got some red wine ready too."  
"Go on. I'll be there in a second," he said.

She walked back to the kitchen. He took out his phone and called Dean.

"Hello?" Dean asked.  
"It worked," Seth said.  
"What worked?" Dean asked.  
"The cave. The woman. She was there. She gave me Becky back," Seth said.  
"Seth, are you on drugs?" Dean asked.  
"No, Becky's here. I'm not lying. I'll prove it to you and everyone else in a minute," Seth said.

Seth hung up and walked back to the kitchen. He placed an arm around Becky's shoulders and raised his phone. She giggled and snuggled closer to him while he took a photo of them together. Shortly after he posted it along with a caption to every social media he was on.

_"Some wishes do come true... if you ask the right person."_

It was a message to his friends from the night before that he had gone to the cave and met the woman. If they wanted anything, they could go there too. The texts came in from all the guys shortly after but he chose to ignore them. Becky was back and he only had eyes for her.

"Will you marry me?" He asked out of nowhere.  
"Oh my god, yes!" She wrapped her arms around him. "I've been waiting for you to ask me that for so long."

He was the happiest man alive. Unfortunately his happiness only lasted for three days. That morning three days later he found her in the shower on the floor. Heart attack, the doctor said. It was rare to see at that young age but sometimes it happened. Seth's heart broke all over but this time there was no chance of Becky ever coming back to him. She had been taken from him.


	3. Dean

Dean put a piece of gum in his mouth while looking at the cave. He believed in a lot of things like aliens and bigfoot but even this seemed a bit too crazy for him. Seth was always the grounded one and if he said it was real, Dean believed it.

He had seen the photo of Seth and Becky together. Of course it could be a crazy coincidence but he doubted it. Becky had been completely done with Seth when she left. There was a bigger chance of all animals suddenly rising up and speaking human language than her ever coming back to Seth.

Therefore Dean was now there in front of the cave. He had to know for himself. And he needed help badly. No one knew about his gambling addiction and the debt he had because of it. He owed money to some shady people. If he couldn't pay with money soon, he would have to pay with blood and body parts. He didn't want to die. He wanted to stay alive. He took a few steps inside the cave.

"Hello? Naked lady? Where are you at?" He called.

He cursed himself for leaving his phone at home and not bringing a flashlight. He placed his right hand on the cave wall and felt his way around as he slowly walked further into the cave. He turned a corner and almost choked on his own gum when he saw the naked woman standing there.

"Wow, you're actually real," he said. "Can I touch you?"  
"Why have you come here?" She asked.  
"Okay, that's creepy," he chuckled. "Nice trick."

He was referring to her voice being repeated in whispers off the walls. She kept looking at him. He slowly started chewing his gum again. He still wasn't sure if this was a trick being played on him by Seth. Only one way to find out.

"I want money," he said. "Like, a whole fucking lot. A million dollars if you can."  
"I give and I take," she said.  
"If you wanna share with me, make it two millions," he grinned.

She stepped up to him. He opened his mouth and spit out the gum. No sooner had it landed on the ground before he felt it back in his mouth.

"What the fuck?" He asked.

She blew her breath into his face. He spun around fast and bolted out of the cave. He didn't care if he tripped in the darkness. He needed to get out and far away from the naked lady. This was not a trick.

He wasn't sure what he had expected. Nothing had changed when he got home. He drank a glass of whiskey and laid down on the bed. He just wanted to take a nap but he ended up sleeping all day and all night. If he had known everything would change over night, he would have run as far away as he could. But he didn't know. Instead he woke up next morning with a sports bag on the bedroom floor.

"What the fuck is this?" He asked.

He went over to the bag and unzipped it. It was filled with money inside. He started laughing like crazy and dove both hands down into the money.

"I'm rich!" He yelled.

He stopped laughing as he felt something metal. He grabbed it and pulled the item up. It was his own gun. The gun that he knew he had locked away in his safe in another room. This couldn't be real. Something was wrong. He grabbed the remote to the tv and turned it on on a local news station.

_"Police is looking for this man. He robbed the bank late yesterday afternoon. We now know his name. Dean Ambrose. If you see this man, don't try and stop him. He's armed and dangerous."_

They played a video footage from the bank. He watched himself rob the bank with his gun. He hadn't even covered his face. He had just walked in there with a sports bag and demanded all their money.

"No, I didn't," he said. "That's not me."

He had to get away. They knew who he was. He grabbed the bag and ran out of his house. He had to warn the others but in his panic he had left his phone behind. Instead of getting out of town, he ran towards Roman's house. He needed to tell Roman, and then Roman could tell the others. He was only one block away when police cars surrounded him and cops jumped out of the cars with their guns raised.

"Get down on the ground!" Someone shouted.

He dropped the bag and raised his hands.

"Please!" He begged. "I need to warn them."  
"Get down on the ground!" The order was repeated.

He quickly laid down on the ground. Someone grabbed his arms and handcuffed his hands behind his back.

"Please, warn them. Tell Roman. Tell him not to go there. She's dangerous," he said.  
"Dean Ambrose, you're arrested for armed robbery," a cop said.


	4. Roman

Roman hated when his ego got the best of him. That always happened when he happened to run into his high school nemesis Samoa Joe. He and Joe had competed all through high school over everything. Getting the best grades, being on the football team, getting it on with the ladies. Every damn thing.

It wasn't like Roman felt like he had missed anything growing up but Joe came from more money than him and therefore got more items than him. Everytime Joe got something, Roman wanted it too.

Roman had run into Joe that morning. Joe had flashed his brand new metallic blue mercedes. Of course Roman had been jealous the second he laid eyes on the beautiful car. Suddenly a mercedes was on top of his own wishlist. He needed one today. That was what had led him to the cave. His own damn ego.

He turned on the flashlight on his phone and stepped inside. He swallowed back his nerves as he slowly walked through the cave. He had never liked it there. The others loved playing there when they were kids and he always followed but he hated it. It was like he always knew something was wrong in this place. He turned a corner and stared at the naked woman.

"Dear lord!" He blurted out.

They stared at each other for a few seconds while he tried to calm his racing heart.

"Why have you come here?" She asked.

He looked around at the walls to see if he could spot where the whispers came from. There was no one else in there with them.

"I want a mercedes," he said. "Today, please."  
"I give and I take," she said.  
"So I've heard," he smiled nervously. "I just want a car. Joe is at it again. He thinks he's better than me. He's not."

She smirked at him and slowly moved towards him.

"Can I wish for a color too?" He asked.  
"If you like," she said.  
"Red," he said. "Like your hair. It's beautiful."

He didn't know why he felt the need to compliment her. He was so nervous that it just came out of his mouth. She still walked towards him. She stopped in front of him and blew out her breath into his face. He took a step back and nodded. He could feel it inside. This was it. He had to leave now.

He walked through town while watching the cars drive by. There wasn't a lot of smart cars in their town and that was why Joe's mercedes annoyed him even more. Everyone would notice. Everyone would know. Everyone would talk about Joe and his succes.

"I hate you, Joe!" He growled to himself.

He walked home and was surprised to find his father in front of his house. And not just his father. Also a brand new red mercedes with a bow around it.

"Dad?" Roman whispered.  
"Early birthday present," his father handed Roman the keys. "You've earned it, son. Go take her for a spin."

Roman didn't need to be told twice. He jumped into the car, started the engine and pressed down on the gas. The car purred beautifully as it went down the street.

"Yes!" He laughed. "Thank you, lady in the cave."

He stopped at a red light with a smile on his face. A smile that quickly got replaced with a frown when Joe drove up next to him in his own mercedes. The two men looked at each other through the windows of their cars. No words were needed. They both knew what was gonna happen.

The light turned green and they both pressed down on the gas. The cars flew down the street. Roman took the lead for a few seconds but was forced over in the other lane by Joe that came up on his right side. It was okay. No other cars were out there. They could still race.

And then it happened. Someone came driving towards them. Roman was in the wrong lane but he didn't wanna lose to Joe. They kept driving while the other car honked its horn. In the final second Roman realized that he could injure or kill someone. He turned the wheel hard to the left to make room for the car coming towards him. His own car spun around and his side of the car got slammed into a tree.

"Fuck!" He cried. "Help me! I can't feel my legs! Please! Somebody! Help me!"

Of all the people in the world, Joe came running towards him with a concerned look on his face and his phone to his ear. Joe was already calling for help. Joe was helping Roman. Roman felt even more humiliated.

Everything was in a blur until paramedics arrived. He told them he couldn't feel his legs. They got him out of the car, up on a stretcher and drove him to the hospital. His entire world fell apart later that day when he was informed that he would never be able to walk again.


	5. Jimmy and Jey

Jimmy and Jey stood outside the cave and looked inside. They had both been joking all the way there, but now that they were finally there, they started feeling a bit scared. It had been stupid to go there as the sun was going down. They both had the same wish.

"This is stupid. Let's just go home," Jey said.  
"You go home. I'm gonna try," Jimmy said.  
"Fine, fine," Jey sighed.

Jey handed Jimmy the flashlight.

"Good luck," Jey said.  
"Wait, you're not coming with me?" Jimmy asked.  
"Remember the poem. You have to go in alone," Jey said.  
"Right, I forgot," Jimmy said. "You're gonna wait for me, right?"  
"Of course, uce," Jey said.

Jimmy turned on the flashlight and walked inside the cave. He kept looking over his shoulder to see his brother for as long as he could. He walked nervously around until he turned a corner and came face to face with the naked woman. Her silver eyes sparkled in the light of his flashlight.

"Sorry," he lowered the flashlight. "I didn't mean to blind you."  
"Why have you come here?" She asked.

He looked around at the walls and then back at her.

"I wanna be loved," he said.

She smirked at him. He knew that was a very open wish.

"By a woman," he quickly added. "I wanna meet the love of my life."

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I want Naomi. She's the love of my life. I want her to love me," he said.  
"I give and I take," she said.

She walked up to him and blew her breath into his face. He turned around and hurried outside again where Jey was waiting.

"She's real!" Jimmy grinned. "She's fucking real, Jey!"  
"What did you wish for?" Jey asked.  
"What I said I would. To meet the woman of my dreams," Jimmy said.  
"I wanna meet her too," Jey said. "I mean, my woman."

Jey took the flashlight and hurried into the cave. Unlike his brother, he didn't walk slow or even look back. He wanted to find the naked woman fast. He kept turning corners until he met those silver eyes.

"Why have you come here?" She asked.  
"Same deal as my brother. I wanna meet the woman of my life," he said.

He looked around to check Jimmy hadn't followed him in there. He didn't want his brother to hear the next part.

"I want Naomi," he said. "I know I promised Jimmy never to go for her but I want her. If he thinks she's the woman for me because of a simple wish, he won't argue against it. Especially not when you send someone else to him."  
"I give and I take," she said.  
"Yeah yeah, I know your deal. Give me Naomi," he said.

She smirked as she walked over to him. She blew her breath into his face and he took a step backwards.

"Wow," he muttered.

He turned around and ran back outside where Jimmy was waiting.

"So?" Jimmy asked.  
"I asked her to send me the love of my life," Jey said. "And now we party."  
"We what?" Jimmy asked.  
"If we're gonna meet someone, we need to be outside," Jey said.

They went downtown and into the biggest bar. People were already dancing and drinking. They spent nearly three hours there before they gave up and went home. No woman ever came over to them.

"Stupid cunt in the cave!" Jey growled.  
"Maybe she'll send someone tomorrow," Jimmy said.  
"She won't send anyone," Jey said.

They stopped in front of their shared house and stared at Naomi who stood waiting outside.

"There you are. I've been waiting for you all night," Naomi said.

Both men took a step forward with big smiles on their faces. They stopped and stared at each other.

"She's here for me," Jimmy said.  
"No, she's here for me," Jey said.  
"No, I wished for her specifically," Jimmy said.  
"So did I," Jey said.  
"Why would you do that? You know I love her," Jimmy said.  
"I love her too!" Jey yelled.  
"Guys, guys," Naomi said. "There's enough of me to go around. I love you both."

She grabbed both men's chins and held on to them. She leaned in and kissed Jimmy first, then leaned in and kissed Jey. The two men looked at each other again. They couldn't think straight. It was like something took over their minds and bodies and made them act.

"We'll split her," Jey said.  
"In the garage," Jimmy said.  
"What?" Naomi asked.

The men grabbed her and dragged her out in the garage. She screamed and fought the best she could but nothing worked. She was placed down on the ground with her arms and legs stretched out and tied. Jey started the chainsaw and moved up to stand between her legs.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Naomi cried.  
"We're gonna split you," Jey said.  
"We'll take a half each. It's only fair," Jimmy said.

Naomi screamed in pain as the chainsaw started cutting up between her legs. It didn't take many seconds before the woman stopped screaming. The men didn't notice they had killed her. Jey finished the job by splitting her down the middle. They took a half each and went to their rooms.

It wasn't until next morning that they seemed to be in complete control of themselves again. They both woke up naked and covered in blood with half a body next to them. They ran screaming from their rooms and met in the hallway.

"What did we do?" Jimmy asked. "What the hell did we do, Jey?"  
"We killed her," Jey asked.  
"But why?" Jimmy asked.  
"I don't know," Jey answered. "I couldn't control myself."  
"What do we do now?" Jimmy asked.  
"We call the police and turn ourselves in," Jey said.


	6. Kevin

Kevin was usually sane and really good at keeping himself grounded. Seeing the photo of Seth and Becky had made all that go away. They looked happy in that photo. Both of them. They were smiling and in love. It was like Becky had never stopped loving Seth and never left him.

That was why Kevin found himself outside of the cave. He spent nearly 30 minutes walking back and forward in front of the entrance while arguing with himself whether or not to go in there. He had a wish but it was a shallow wish. Still he wanted it. He finally gave up the battle with his sanity and stepped inside the cave.

"Here goes nothing," he sighed.

He turned on the flashlight on his phone and started walking. Several times he stopped and took a few steps back only to turn right back around and walk further in. He turned a corner and everything was lit up. There she stood in all her naked glory, looking like she didn't belong in this world. She probably didn't. She might look human but he knew that wasn't the case. He didn't know what she was though.

"Hi," he waved. "I'm Kevin."  
"Why have you come here?" She asked.

He opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked down at his feet.

"I'm not happy," he said.  
"That is not a wish," she said.  
"I wanna be thin," he said.

He looked up from his feet and into her silver eyes.

"Can you make me thin?" He asked.  
"I give and I take," she said.  
"Take away my fat," he said. "Please."

She walked over to him and blew her breath into his face. His bottom lip started quivering. He turned around and ran out of the cave before breaking down right outside. He had done the one thing he knew he shouldn't. He should never have gone there. He should never have made that wish. It was too late to take back now. He dried his eyes, got back on his feet and went home. All he could do now was wait and see what would happen.

The first morning he woke up, he stared in shock in the mirror. He had lost a lot. A whole damn lot. This was not natural. The second morning was even worse. He was skinny. He could see his bones in certain areas. He fought against sleep that night, thinking he could save himself if he could stay awake. Eventually sleep took over. The third morning he didn't wake up.


	7. Sami

Sami was jumping up and down in front of the cave. It was a cold morning. He had gone there as soon as the sun was rising. He always woke up early, way before the sun would rise. He had gone there and waited outside until sunrise. Not that it mattered. Inside the cave everything was still dark.

He hummed a happy tune with a smile on his face. He loved the sound of his own voice. He had a good voice. It was that voice that had brought him to the cave. He had a wish that involved his voice.

"Alright, let's do this," he said.

He was talking to himself. He pulled out the little flashlight keyring he always had on the keyring with his car key. He stepped inside the cave and shone the light around. It looked exactly like he remembered it from his childhood.

"If I was a naked wishmaster, where would I be hiding?" He asked lowly.

He moved forward in a weird mix of walking, skipping and dancing. He kept humming while turning corner after corner. He stopped both with walking and humming after turning a corner and looking straight at the naked woman. He broke out in a wide grin after the surprise of seeing her left him.

"Wishmaster!" He said loudly.  
"Why have you come here?" She asked.  
"I wanna be a famous singer. I have a great voice," he said.  
"I give and I take," she said.  
"Come with me on the road. There'll be plenty of fans for you to fuck if you want to," he said.

She smirked at him. He smirked back at her, thinking they were on the same page. She walked up to him and blew her breath in his face. His smile faded. Suddenly he felt cold inside. He turned around and hurried out of the cave. He stopped outside and looked into the darkness of the cave.

"What the hell was that?" He whispered.

His cell phone started ringing. He didn't know the number but he answered anyway.

"Hello?" He asked.  
"Sami Zayn?" A female voice asked.  
"Speaking," he said.  
"This is Liv Morgan from the radio station. You sent us a song for our competition," she said.  
"Yes?" He asked.  
"We played it and you won. Our phones were glowing all day yesterday since we first played it. People wanna hear it constantly," she said.

He let out a loud scream of joy. He danced around on the spot while laughing.

"Sami?" She asked.  
"I'm still here," he said.  
"Can you come down to the station? We have someone here from Sony Music who would like to speak to you," she said.  
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" He laughed again. "I'm on my way."

He jumped into his car and sped down to the station. Inside he was greeted as if he was royalty. Someone guided him into a room where a man was waiting. The man stood up and shook Sami's hand with a smile.

"My name is Lio Rush and I'm from Sony Music. We wanna sign you," Lio said.  
"Yes!" Sami said loudly.  
"You're gonna be a star," Lio said. "A huge star. You're the next big thing. I can feel it."  
"Where do I sign?" Sami asked.  
"Right there," Lio answered.

Lio pointed at a dotted line. Sami sat down and grabbed the contract. He quickly scanned it. Nothing seemed wrong to him. He grabbed a pen and signed the contract.

"Great," Lio smiled. "Tomorrow we'll bring you to the studio. We already got some great musicians lined up to be your band. I'll call you with instructions tomorrow morning."

Sami couldn't stop smiling as he walked outside again. He walked over to his car when he heard someone say his name. He turned around but never got a chance to see anything. Something was thrown in his eyes and he felt it burning. He cried for help while acid ate away his eyes.

That evening Lio came to the hospital to visit Sami. Sami's eyes couldn't be saved. They were gone. He would be blind forever. The man who had thrown the acid was someone angry about not winning the competition.

"It's gonna be fine," Lio said.  
"How can you say that?" Sami asked.  
"You don't need your eyes to sing. You're still gonna be a star," Lio said.  
"But..." Sami sobbed. "He took my eyes!"  
"But you still got your beautiful voice," Lio said.


	8. Corey

Corey knew it was crazy. He should let this pass in its own time. Eventually a judge would make sure to give him what his wife wouldn't and what his lawyer still hadn't been able to. He was just so sick and tired of waiting.

"Go home," he muttered.

Instead he stepped inside the cave. He turned on the flashlight on his phone and moved forward at a slow pace. His heart was beating faster than ever before. He was scared of what he might find in there. Even more scared of what he might not find. It could all be a lie. If the cave was empty, he would break down on the spot. He couldn't take it anymore. He turned a corner and the area was lit up.

"That's crazy," he whispered.

He looked around and his eyes landed on a naked woman. Her hair took him by surprise.

"Has anyone ever told you you look like the little mermaid?" He asked.

He had watched that cartoon plenty of times with his children. She didn't seem amused by the comparison. She probably had no idea what that cartoon even was.

"Why have you come here?" She asked.  
"My wife keeps refusing to sign the divorce papers," he sighed. "I just want her to sign them so I can be free of her. I'm tired of fighting her through our lawyers. I just want it all to end."  
"I give and I take," she said.  
"I know and it fucking terrifies me," he admitted. "But I can't go on like this anymore. She's bleeding me dry. I'm a wreck and my bank account is almost on zero from all the bills from my lawyer. I want it to stop. Please, make it stop."

She walked over to him and blew her breath in his face. He shivered as he turned around and walked back outside. He knew he shouldn't have come there. He should have waited. Eventually his wife would be forced to sign. It didn't matter anymore. He went home and was surprised when his lawyer David Otunga called him right away.

"David?" Corey asked.  
"Hi, Corey," David said. "I just got off the phone with your wife's lawyer. She's ready to sign."  
"Really?" Corey asked.  
"I set up a meeting tomorrow at 11 AM," David said.  
"I'll be there," Corey said.

Corey didn't dare to celebrate just yet. He had a hard time sleeping that night, and he was there at David's office 30 minutes early. His wife showed up with her lawyer on time. She didn't say anything. She just signed the papers and walked off again.

"Finally," Corey sighed in relief.  
"I'll say," David chuckled. "Congratulations. You're a free man."

Corey danced all the way from David's office to his car. He drove home and had a one man party with a bottle of champagne and some take away sushi. He was happy for a day. His happiness disappeared next morning when the police knocked on his door. Two female officers stood outside with name tags on their shirts. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce.

"Corey Graves?" Peyton asked.  
"That's me," Corey answered.  
"We found your wife and..." Billie said.  
"Ex wife," Corey cut her off.  
"We found her and your kids," Billie said.  
"My kids?" Corey asked. "Where are they?"  
"I'm sorry but they're dead," Peyton said.

Corey didn't know how to breathe in that moment. He dropped to his knees and sobbed.

"Why? How?" He asked.  
"They went quietly in her car. Carbon monoxide poisoning," Peyton said.

Corey had seen enough crime shows to know how people did that. He never thought his wife had it in her to do that to herself and especially not to their children.

"Why would she do that to them?" Corey looked up at the two officers. "Why?"


	9. Final wish

Seth felt lost and heartbroken. Not only had he lost Becky to a heart attack just three days after she came back, but he quickly learned that all his friends had lost something too. Within less than a week they apparently all had gone to the cave without telling each other. They had all made wishes, and they had all lost something.

He felt guilty. He was the one that had shown his grandfather's journal to them. He was the one that had gone there despite saying he wouldn't. He was the one that had made the first wish. He was the one who had told them it worked. And it did. She granted them wishes. She gave and she took.

"Enough is enough!" He growled.

He turned on the flashlight on his phone and stepped inside the cave. This time he walked with determined steps. He didn't care anymore. He knew she was in there somewhere.

"Where are you at?" He yelled. "Where are you at, you fucking cunt?"

He turned a corner and found himself once again in the lit area. She stood there like the last time. Naked and smirking.

"Why have you come here?" She asked.  
"You know damn well why I'm here," he said.  
"I warned you," she said. "I give and I take."  
"Take it back! All of it!" He raised his voice.  
"Wishes can't be undone," she said.  
"Then raise Becky from the dead," he pleaded. "Please!"  
"I can't awaken the dead," she said.

He started crying. He knew his tears wouldn't work on her but he couldn't stop them.

"It's not fair," he cried. "Why did you kill her? She didn't ask for any of this."  
"Exactly," she said.  
"I don't understand," he said.  
"She didn't ask to be with you again. She didn't ask to have the mind controlled. She didn't ask to be used as your personal sex slave," she said.

He swallowed hard by those words. Not once had he stopped to think about what he was actually doing to Becky when he asked to get her back. No spell could make her love him again. Deep inside he knew that.

"But why hurt my friends?" He asked.  
"They had their own wishes," she answered. "The human race is a fun one. All you want is to take, take, take. So I give you what you want. And I take again. I teach you a lesson in humility."  
"Humility?" He snorted. "You're nothing but a sadistic cunt!"

He took some fast breaths. She kept standing there, smirking at him. He charged at her and stopped when he came face to face with nothing. He turned around and it was like the entire setting had been moved around. She stood on the same spot. He charged again and the same happened. The setting was moved behind him again. He realized he could never reach her on his own. He turned around with gritted teeth.

"I have another wish," he said.  
"Be careful what you wish for," she said.  
"I want you to disappear," he said.

She broke into that cruel smirk again. Her silver eyes seemed to glisten.

"What? Are you gonna deny my wish?" He asked.  
"No," she answered. "But I must remind you. I give and I take."  
"I know," he took a deep breath. "And I'm okay with that. If it makes you disappear so that no one else will ever come across you again, it will be worth it."

She walked over to him and stopped in front of him.

"There are others like me," she said.  
"Not around here," he said. "I can only save my town. Someone else must fight for their own."

She placed her hands on his shoulders. He had never felt cold like this before. Like ice piercing his skin and running through his entire body fast. She leaned in but didn't blow her breath in his face like she had done before. Instead she pressed her ice cold lips to his and sucked his breath out of his body.

His dead body crashed to the ground. The light that had been in the cave was now gone. There was nothing but darkness, silence and a dead body in there. In time some kids would run in there to explore and come across his remains.

If anyone got a hold of his grandfather's journal and decided to test if it was true, it would go down as nothing but a scary story. There was no naked woman in the cave. No more wishes to be granted.


End file.
